PART 3 OF 4: AN INTERVIEW WITH KATHY BROMBACHER

Kathy's directorial finale, staging "Fiddler on the Roof" for Moonlight in 2012.  Photo courtesy of Ken Jacques.

What was the first musical you ever directed?  

“Fiddler on the Roof” was my first big, full scale production in college for my senior thesis.  It was given to me as a student and it was part of the college’s regular season of plays.  But it wasn’t a student production.  It was a fully fleshed out, professional production. 

What was the first play you ever directed?  

Then I came into teaching high school, so it would be there.  It was “The Miracle Worker.”  

Do you have a preference for working on musicals vs. “straight plays”?

I enjoy doing the right kind of musical.  You know, every director has their style.  I’m not right for “Anything Goes” I think.  I’ve never directed “Anything Goes.”  I have directed “Ragtime,” which I’m proud of.  I have directed “The Spitfire Grill.”  I think my taste ranges through the acting with musicals that have a good, solid acting script.  I’m not a choreographer.  I’m not a dancer.  I tend toward musicals that have a script and acting, as opposed to musicals that should be given to director/choreographers.  

And the question was “which do I prefer.”  I do prefer non-musical plays.  All kinds of non-musical plays.  And one of the things I felt so strongly about when we had the Moonlight going is that we should have a place in which we could do non-musical plays.  Hence, came the AVO Playhouse.   

When I started working full time with the City of Vista running the cultural arts program - coming out of teaching - I said we need a place where we can do a couple of non-musicals.  I really believe in that literature and I’m really proud that an organization that makes its name in musical theatre is also producing these non-musicals.  

The AVO Playhouse at 303 Main Street in Downtown Vista.

You mentioned that you came here as a high school teacher.  I’m curious, is there a story there of how you ended up in Vista…of all places?

Right, right!  Well I had been in Denver and came home to kind of recover.  Out of graduate school, I had done dinner theatre and had wanted to get my Equity card and go to New York, but things just kept not lining up for that.  So I came home for awhile, worked a variety of jobs, and then this teaching job came up.  Harold Warman who was band director and his wife who was teaching English at Fallbrook High School, as well as Pete McKew who was an activities director and a teacher of US History: they were friends of mine up in the Colton area and when an opening happened they said come down here to Vista High School.  They had a very short window of time - it was like a week before school started - and someone had left because they got another job.  So I auditioned for the role … I interviewed with the principal.  I had with me some letters of recommendation that were fine, but even though I had no teaching experience, they took a chance on me.  So I went up to UC Irvine at nights and got my teaching credential.  But, yeah, it was out of the blue.  It was like, “Are you ready for this?  Grab the ring and start teaching!”  And I had a great aunt living in San Marcos, so immediately I had a place to stay.  But it came very fast and furious.  And by Thanksgiving … I was ready to quit.  [laughs]  No, I continued on for 12 years.  

And the Superintendent of schools, Jack Price, who was a man who was very arts minded, came to me one day and said “What do you dream about?”  Because the high school theatre I was teaching at had 147 seats. So, it was a tiny place to be producing what I wanted to do – a combination of musicals and straight plays.  And I said, “I dream about having a place where musicals can be produced and there’s room for an orchestra, you could have production values, you could have scenery, etc.”  And he brought me out to this hilltop at Brengle Terrace Park, which was a flag pavilion for the 1976 bicentennial.  And he said, “Well, here’s a place.”  [laughs]  No running water, no lights, no electricity.  “What do you think?”  And I said, “Well … I’ll get my friends together and we’ll tackle this.”  And the city had to give their approval because it was a city park and little did they know what was about to happen to them!  

With my high school students, we built and painted scenery.  Ken Gammie - who is still conducting with us today - put together the orchestra.  And, to get this started, people volunteered for nothing, I mean just for the love of the arts. And then the Recreation Department had to help us with some infrastructure.  To get volunteers and help supplement everything.  And then, as they saw the theatre grow, they adopted us as a program of the city, which was pretty major for a city to say they’ll adopt this theatre program and help pay the expenses and help develop the land.    That’s the way it’s been all these years.  

And what were you doing at that time…were you producing musicals year round?

In the beginning, we were just doing the summer musicals and I was teaching full time.  

Kathy Brombacher and Ed Perez at Moonlight in 1982.  Photo courtesy of Moonlight Stage Productions.

How many years from when you started did the City of Vista step in and start investing in your company?

It was 1984 I believe.  And we started in 1981, so it was three years after.  

And the way we had funds to even start was back to that Superintendent of schools.  He said I have a way to get you some upfront money … I mean you need money for royalties, money to build scenery, money to get costumes … so, for the first couple of years we were an adult education program.  He said let’s offer this as an adult education program to the community and the actors will sign up for class, you will be the teacher, and we’ll have a few people who are independent contractors come in and provide support services.   

So, a $10,000 budget was allotted for the set of summer classes through adult education.  And it has always been a combination of the school district supporting us and then the city supporting us.  And it certainly helped that I had friends who were also teachers that were contributing to this who were certified to work with students.  They all had faith in us.      

Were you called Moonlight Stage Productions at this time?

No, we were called the Vista Summer Theatre Festival.  We started with two musicals and we didn’t know if we’d want to do straight plays, or some festival, you know, we were just being open to it all.  

Moonlight in 1983.  Photo courtesy of Moonlight Stage Productions.

And when did you change the name and how did you choose Moonlight?

We got together an Executive Committee composed of people who were volunteers - like a Board except they were more like an Advisory Committee.  And we sat around and came up with names and we eventually came up with Moonlight.  At the time, there was the Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park that was very familiar to everyone.  And we thought that keeping “Vista” in the name might keep away some of the neighboring communities who wanted to be involved, so we wanted something that was more umbrella-ed.  And we have gorgeous moons that appear in the sky over the amphitheatre and behind the trees!  So it just seemed a really graceful kind of name.  

And do you remember when-abouts you officially changed your name to Moonlight?

It was a couple years in because they didn’t have a name for the amphitheatre, really.  Even though it had existed since 1976, it was simply known as “the Amphitheatre at Brengle Terrace Park.”  I’m thinking it was the mid-80’s … 1984, 1985 … something like that.      

How would you characterize your working relationship with the City of Vista since then?

Well, I became a City of Vista employee and left teaching in 1989.  So the city was absolutely supportive from the beginning. 

At that time, there was a Vista press that existed.  And articles were written about us getting started, photographs taken, and we were really supported by the press in a big way.  Jim Porter, the Director of Parks, and Kathy Brendell both collaborated to write grants to improve the facility to bring running water and electricity.  They wrote a grant to build our patio area and restrooms…that was 1987 or 1988.  Jim also made sure we had a proper sound and lighting booth.  We’ve also had community projects to lay cement slabs and another project to build a side stage for us so that we could store scenery to give us more space onstage.  But the City of Vista has been very, very supportive of improvements, including putting roads in, parking lots in, and fences in … all kinds of infrastructure.  

Then in 1990-1991, we started discussing building a permanent stage house.  We had pretty much built everything ourselves until we had the new stage house built and so there was a long set of campaigns and fundraising efforts for that.  We also went out and did a feasibility study, we raised money for the architectural plans (there have been several renditions that happened during the 1990’s into the 2000’s)  and then in 2006 the voters of Vista voted on Proposition L, which included the upgrade of the fire stations, the city hall, the sports park and, of course, Moonlight’s new stage house.  So that support is indicative of the fact that our City Council and these wonderful people who ran Recreation always had us in mind as they were improving this park.  Jim Porter passed away last year and I will tell you I really miss the man.  He invested so much in this.  He believed in it completely as did many, many citizens.    

The Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista.  Photo courtesy of Ken Jacques.

THEATRE NEWS: MOONLIGHT STAGE NAMES STEVEN GLAUDINI AS NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

VISTA, CA (September 2, 2012) – Moonlight Stage Productions announced today that Steven Glaudini has been named Artistic Director-Designate of the theatre effective October 1, 2012 and will assume the title of Artistic Director upon the retirement of Founder/Producing Artistic Director Kathy Brombacher on December 31, 2012.

Veteran director and actor Steve Glaudini, right, has been chosen as the new artistic director of Moonlight Stage Productions, replacing founding artistic director Kathy Brombacher, who will step down at the end of the year after leading the theater for more than 30 years.  Photo by Jamie Scott Lytle.

Commencing January 1, Glaudini assumes responsibility for the artistic direction of Moonlight Stage Productions’ 2013 summer season at the Moonlight Amphitheatre, and the 2014 winter season at the AVO Playhouse. Glaudini and Kathy Brombacher will collaborate on the programming of the upcoming 2013 AVO winter season. He will work in partnership with Daniel Kays, the theatre’s managing director, in the administration of the Moonlight’s productions and events which serve as the cultural arts program at the City of Vista. Glaudini and Kays will continue the collaboration between the theatre and its non-profit producing partner, the Moonlight Cultural Foundation. The Foundation raises funds through private donations, corporate sponsorships and special events. These funds greatly assist the City of Vista in its ability to provide a cultural arts program that serves nearly 60,000 audience members a year from throughout the region.

"I am humbled and honored to continue the legacy of Kathy Brombacher’s life work,” Steven Glaudini said. “Rest assured that the artistic traditions of the Moonlight will continue on and that I am excited to see where we can take this magnificent organization into the future and beyond. These are very exciting times as I think back to my long history with the Moonlight from actor to director and now Artistic Director Designate.  It is truly a full circle for me and I am deeply grateful."

“It has been the deepest privilege to have held the artistic leadership of the Moonlight Amphitheatre and Moonlight Stage Productions as it rose from community theatre status into the regional theatre institution which it has become,” remarked Producing Artistic Director Kathy Brombacher. “Moonlight  Stage Productions has in fact represented most of my life’s work; and with this passing of the artistic torch to Steven Glaudini,  I know without a doubt that the future of the theatre will be assured and the theatre’s legacy of achievements will be in the strong hands of a director and artistic leader who will nurture and grow all the aspects of the theatre.  I celebrate this new era of Moonlight Stage Productions!”

Pictured here are (left to right) Steven Glaudini, Kathy Brombacher and Managing Director Daniel Kays.  Photo by Ken Jacques.

The appointment of Steven Glaudini caps his nearly two-decade association with Moonlight Stage Productions when he first came to the theatre as an actor in 1996. Glaudini comes to Vista having served as Artistic Director/Producer of Long Beach’s Musical Theatre West, a producing company presenting five Broadway-style musicals a year. Prior to this, Glaudini worked as an Equity Agent for Kazarian, Spencer, Ruskin and Associates in Studio City where he represented a roster of more than 200 actors, submitting and booking performers in California, New York and the West End. From 1999-2005, Glaudini served as Executive Director/Producer of Performance Riverside in Riverside, CA where he produced a Broadway musical series and other attractions. Previously, he worked as Casting Director for the Walt Disney Company in Anaheim where he was responsible for casting more than 150 performers in addition to staging numerous special projects and Disney industrial shows.

As a stage director, he has directed many of Musical Theatre West’s critically-acclaimed productions including Monty Python’s Spamalot, Annie, Little Shop of Horrors, The Producers, All Shook Up, The Pajama Game, The Pirates of Penzance and others. As a freelance director, he has worked throughout Southern California staging The Producers for Cabrillo Music Theatre; and A Little Night Music, Company, Children of Eden, Sweet Charity, She Loves Me and Carousel for Performance Riverside.

Glaudini’s work as a stage director for Moonlight Stage Productions has been peppered with critical acclaim and awards. His musicals at the Moonlight Amphitheatre have included Hairspray (San Diego Theatre Critic’s Circle Nomination for Best Director), Miss Saigon (San Diego Theatre Critic’s Circle Nomination for Best Musical), Cats, Les Miserables (San Diego Theatre Critic’s Circle Award for Best Director of a Musical), West Side Story (San Diego Theatre Critic’s Circle Award for Outstanding Musical), Cabaret, and Children of Eden (2003 Robby Award for Best Director and Best Musical and Patté Award for Best Musical).

As an actor, Glaudini has performed a dozen roles at the Moonlight Amphitheatre and at the company’s winter season home the AVO Playhouse, including the productions of A Funny Thing…Forum, Ragtime, South Pacific, Carousel, Okahoma!, Peter Pan, and The Foreigner among others. His acting work elsewhere has drawn critical acclaim most notably for his portrayal of John Adams in two productions of 1776 winning an LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award and the Backstage Garland Award.

Glaudini's appointment was announced from the Moonlight stage on 9/1. Pictured here are (left to right) Vista City Manager Patrick Johnson, President-Elect of the Moonlight Cultural Foundation Jane Mitchell, Vista Mayor Pro Tem Steve Gronke, Steven Glaudini, Kathy Brombacher, Daniel Kays, and Moonlight Cultural Foundation Executive Director Karen Gee.  Photo by Ken Jacques.

Glaudini is currently in rehearsal as director for Moonlight’s final show of the 2012 summer season, Sweeney Todd, opening on September 19.  

THEATRE REVIEW: "Little Women: The Musical" at Moonlight Stage Productions

Moonlight's Astonishing "Women"

North County Company’s Supreme Revival Brims with Passion, Powerhouse Performances

By Donnie Matsuda

Nearly seven years ago, I was not a fan of Little Women: The Musical.

At that time, the newly musical-ized version of the durable Louisa May Alcott novel had played on Broadway and was touring the country with some notable names in leading roles (the tour production I saw starred Maureen McGovern as the March family matriarch Marmee). After sitting through an over three hour long production filled with lackluster performances, boring ballads, and a seemingly pointless plotline, I left the theatre wondering why anyone thought this story was worthy of a full musical adaptation. Does it really make sense for these (mostly) prim and proper Civil War-era sisters to belt out ballads at the slightest twinge of emotion and dance rings around their 19th century parlor?

Hilary Maiberger (left) and Susan Stuber. Photo by Ken Jacques.

Thus, it was with great apprehension that I attended Moonlight Stage Productions’ current revival of Little Women: The Musical, which is the second production in their three show winter season at the AVO Playhouse in Vista. Perhaps it is the passage of nearly seven years, or perhaps it is the breathtaking and vibrant vision that veteran director Kathy Brombacher (in her final directorial gig at the AVO before retiring this Fall) has for her passionate production. Either way, I was completely swept away with Moonlight’s charming and earnest revival, so much so that I now consider myself a fan (actually, a BIG fan) of the musical.

Jacob Haren and Hilary Maiberger. Photo by Ken Jacques.

Modern-day audiences may not be very familiar with Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel on which the musical is based. Little Women is Alcott’s semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story about the trials and tribulations of the March sisters – tomboy Jo, idealistic Meg, artistic Amy, and compassionate Beth – as well as their beloved mother Marmee. As they fall in and out of love, pursue their dreams with humor and passion, and bear children as women of their era were expected to do, these women find solace and strength in their everlasting sisterhood.

The Company of "Little Women: The Musical." Photo by Ken Jacques.

At the heart of it all is the central character Jo, whose determination to succeed as a “blood and guts” writer and an independent woman in a war-torn society is an inspiring story that speaks to everyone, no matter what their age, gender, or generation. And in the more-than-capable hands of powerhouse performer Hilary Maiberger, the character of Jo truly springs to life and dominates nearly every scene she is in. Maiberger is such a polished and professional performer, it is hard not to be mesmerized by her incredible “star” talent every time she takes the stage. She effortlessly embodies Jo with just the right amount of self-righteousness, strength, and enthusiasm and her belt-y ballads are nothing short of astonishing.

As Jo’s frail sister Beth, Sarah Errington delivers an exquisitely tender performance and showcases an incredibly sweet soprano, while Alexis Grenier is appropriately sweet and sensible as sister Meg. Leslie Tammone as Amy, the youngest and most self-conscious March daughter, is completely convincing as the immature brat who spitefully burns Jo’s novel in Act One, but is even more captivating with her seamless transition into a more grown-up, married woman in Act Two. And at the helm of it all is the incomparable Susan Stuber as family matriarch Marmee. Stuber is perfectly cast in the role, investing her Marmee with incredible warmth, a strict maternal instinct, and a rye sense of humor.

The Company of "Little Women: The Musical." Photo by Ken Jacques.

While the women are the focus of his musical, the men are equally as strong in their more supporting roles. Jacob Haren is easy on the eyes and the ears as Laurie, the boy next door who falls in love with Jo, but allows fate to change his affections for another March girl. Haren plays his character sincerely and attacks his songs with a glorious, vibrant tenor. As Meg’s love interest John, Andrew Wade is as vanilla as it gets while Don Ward gets a terrific turn as the crotchety Mr. Laurence. Rounding out the cast is a credible Bryan Vickery as Jo’s roommate cum love interest Professor Bhaer and an exquisite Susan Boland as the scene-stealing, pompous, and fire-tongued Aunt March.

Director Kathy Brombacher brings with her decades of experience helming musical theatre productions and it truly shows in this first-rate revival. Her earnest direction effectively captures the heart and spirit of the piece, while also showcasing some exuberant and impassioned performances that make this otherwise mediocre material simply soar. Combined with Carlos Mendoza’s sprightly choreography, Dr. Terry O’Donnell’s fantastic four-piece orchestra, N. Dixon Fish’s rustic and multi-functional set, and Carlotta Malone’s sumptuous 19th-century costumes, Moonlight’s spirited revival is as good as Little Women: The Musical gets.

Things to know before you go: Little Women – The Musical plays at Moonlight Stage Production’s AVO Playhouse through March 11, 2012. Running time is 2 hours and 45 minutes with a 15 minute intermission. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $22-$30. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (760) 724-2110 or visit www.moonlightstage.com.

THEATRE REVIEW: "The Mousetrap" at Moonlight Stage Productions

Dial M for “Mousetrap”

Moonlight Stage sleuths through a spot-on revival of Agatha Christie’s masterful murder mystery

By Donnie Matsuda

When there is a murderer on the loose and it is almost certain he’s lurking around your guest home waiting for his next kill, it’s always best to start by asking a lot of questions. For instance, where was he last seen? He was last seen leaving the body of Mrs. Lyons after strangling her to death at her home in Surrey. And, what does he look like? He was wearing a long, dark overcoat, a light scarf, and soft, felt hat. Anything out of the ordinary about this man? He is fascinated with the nursery rhyme “Three Blind Mice” and authorities suspect that he will strike three times. With Mrs. Lyons now dead, there are two more victims to be had.

(Left to right): Jessica John, Phil Johnson, and Jonathan Sachs. Photo by Ken Jacques.

And so the manhunt (or is it mouse-hunt?) for the killer begins in the classic “whodunit” English murder mystery, The Mousetrap. It’s a flawlessly constructed, highly durable stage play, as proven by its impeccable track record: the original production opened in London’s West End in 1952 and has never closed, taking in more than 24,000 performances and making it the longest running play in the world. Now, as this mother of all murder mysteries celebrates its 60th consecutive year at the Ambassador Theatre in London, Moonlight Stage is kicking off its 22nd winter season by staging a killer revival of this tried and true detective play.

Penned by the quintessential mistress of the mystery thriller genre, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap tells the tale of a group of strangers who are fortuitously brought together in an old boarding house called Monkswell Manor, now transformed into a cozy guest home by young couple Mollie and Giles Ralston (an exuberant, captivating Jessica John and a doting, dapper Jonathan Sachs). Their guests arrive just before a severe snowstorm hits. The first is young architect Christopher Wren (a neurotic turn by Ethan Mikael Tapley) whose mousy, unkempt appearance and agitated demeanor make him suspicious from the start. Next, there is impossible-to-please, ex-magistrate Mrs. Boyle (a tart and tenacious Dagmar Krause Fields) whose non-stop bitchy banter gets on everyone’s nerves. Arriving with her is Major General Metcalf (a genuine Walter Ritter), a retired military man who brings a calm and quiet presence to everyone and everything around him. Finally, Miss Casewell (an edgy and aloof Rachael Van Wormer) is last to arrive, full of pent up angst and preoccupied with dark secrets from her past.

But, of course, there are the unexpected guests who arrive just as the snowstorm hits and before the phone lines are cut. There is a mystifying, middle European man named Mr. Paravicini (an over-the-top Phil Johnson) who comes blustering in claiming that his car has been overturned in the snow and he has nowhere else to go. Then, a detective on skis named Sgt. Trotter (a suave Jake Rosko) shows up to investigate the recent murder of Mrs. Lyons and begins setting traps to catch the culprit.

(Left to right): Dagmar Fields, Jessica John, Jonathan Sachs, Jake Rosko, and Ethan Tapley. Photo by Ken Jacques.

As the mystery slowly unfolds, we get to know more about each of the eccentric and utterly suspicious characters who have come to stay at Monkswell Manor. Everyone here has a secret, some of which are innocent, but Christie makes it possible that each person could be the murderer. And when these oddball characters are brought to life by Moonlight’s engaging ensemble cast, they keep everyone on the edge of their seats and watching their backs.

Director Jason Heil (who returns to the AVO after staging the critically-acclaimed productions of “Barefoot in the Park,” “Ring Round the Moon,” and “You Never Can Tell”) brilliantly pulls the pieces of this mystery puzzle together and demonstrates great skill in shifting focus from individuals to the ensemble cast and back to individuals again. He also creates some striking, well-balanced “picture perfect” moments when the entire cast is on stage. Despite the fact that the play is two hours of talk and exposition (with a murder thrown in for good measure), Heil keeps things moving at a steady pace and manages to keep a sense of controlled urgency and utter intrigue running throughout. Overall, his organic approach is more muted than melodrama, but he remains loyal to Christie’s work while extracting some entrancing performances from his ensemble cast.

(Left to right): Jake Rosko and Ethan Tapley. Photo by Ken Jacques.

Aiding him in bringing Monkswell Manor to Moonlight is a first rate team of designers. Scenic designer N. Dixon Fish has crafted a handsome, detailed English boarding room set that dominates the stage with its creaky wooden doors, massive pointed archways, and paneled walls that are as high as the sky. The sharply designed set is well lit (though at times a bit too harshly) by designer Paul A. Canaletti, Jr. and costume designers Roslyn Lehman and Renetta Lloyd have pulled together some fitting and incredibly fine creations to keep their cast warm in the dead of England’s winter.

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is one of the finest plays ever written, with ingenious plot twists and turns that keep the audience guessing from start to satisfying (if a bit shocking) finish. And here, in the capable hands of a stalwart director and sterling cast, Moonlight’s production is so meticulously macabre…dare I say it…it’s to die for.

Things to know before you go: The Mousetrap presented by Moonlight Stage Productions plays at the AVO Playhouse through February 5th, 2012. Running time is 2 hours and 15 minutes with a 15 minute intermission. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Tickets are $22-$30. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (760) 724-2110 or visit www.moonlightstage.com.